Night Watch
by FeistyFox
Summary: He hadn't expected what he found on the roof. It wasn't like her to hide. Note: rating change!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I have no claim over Tin Man.

He finally found her on the rooftop garden that overlooked the city. He felt a rush of profound relief when he realized she hadn't been kidnapped or worse. Taking a moment to compose himself he found that his relief over finding her safe was quickly being replaced by exasperated anger. He couldn't for the life of him understand this woman. There wasn't a guard within shouting range of this part of the palace. What if something happened to her while she was up here? Did she even think about that?

Sometimes he wasn't sure she even listened to him when he told her that she was a target. It was like talking to a brick wall. A brick wall with two blue eyes that he swore had the ability to make even his considerable composure wear thin. It wasn't right the way she could push him to his breaking point one minute then without effort _look_ at him the way she did and have him forgetting why he was upset in the first place. She had some kind of unfair advantage. He was starting to think it had something to do with her magic because there was no other explanation, and God damn it, this time he was going to make her see reason and no amount of wide-eyed stares were going to break his concentration.

Her bouts of inattention to his increasingly frustrated commands to stay close were getting out of hand. Not that he expected her to be watched all damned day but could she at least tell people where she was going? This was the third night this week she had vanished from her room. The only thing that had kept him from ripping out his hair was the Furball's cryptic reassurances that she was safe and within the palace walls. His patient request for her to stay in her quarters until one of the suns came up the day before had obviously been a waste of his time. He had decided when he found her missing yet again that enough was enough. He didn't care if she was the Princess. She was going to listen to the Head of Security or he was going to kill her. It might be the only way to keep her safe.

Stalking silently up behind the tree she was pressed against he weighed the pros and cons of his next move. For all her spunk and empathy the girl wasn't subtle. Maybe her lack of understanding on safety protocol should be addressed in a more pointed manner. That might just drive the idea home for her. Crouching down behind her right elbow his arm snaked around her front quickly and jerked her sideways as he barked at her. "What did I say?"

He felt oddly unsatisfied when she let out a choked shout of fear as she thumped into his chest. And when he realized she was shaking so hard he thought she might rattle away from her bones he became deeply concerned. No amount of surprise had caused this reaction; she had been frightened long before he had arrived. He simply hadn't been able to see her trembling in the deep shadows the tree was casting at this time of night.

Her voice broke halfway through her hurried apology. "I'm sorry." She had her head turned as far away from his face as she could get it.

His arm loosened considerably when he came to the troubling conclusion that his princess was trying to hide from him. DG didn't hide things from him, it wasn't in her nature. She didn't apologize for running off either. "Kid?" She took a shuddering breath and wrenched her body forward. His arm retightened around her waist holding her close. Her body tensed against his seconds before she panicked.

Struggling madly in his grasp he heard and felt her breathing hitch as she started fighting for air that she shouldn't be having a problem getting. Driving back his own fear over what was happening to his normally lighthearted charge he tightened his grip and fell into the only role he knew she would listen to. Why she would respond to his Tin Man persona he was never sure, since she often ignored even the direct orders of the Queen, but at this point he didn't much care. "Calm down!"

Gasping she continued to fight him. "Let go!" Her voice was a strained wheeze as she began to weaken from lack of oxygen. "Can't breath, Cain!"

Grasping her shoulder in one hand he shoved the top portion of her body down toward her knees. "I'm not going to hurt you. Stop fighting me right now." He kept his voice firm but level as he held her down. She tried to jerk up once but he leaned his weight forward stopping her. "Take a deep breath, DG."

She let out a muffled sob and he cursed internally at his stupidity. Sneaking up on her had not been the best choice he had made today. Externally he kept up his commands.

"Breath in." He heard her trying desperately to do what he was telling her to. "Good girl. Now let it out." Lifting his chest away from her once he was sure the fight had gone out of her he carefully wrapped one arm loosely around her stomach and began to rub her back with the other. Letting his voice soften he encouraged her as her breathing leveled out. "Again, Princess. In…now out."

In his opinion it took her far too long to return to a near normal breathing pattern. And even when she did she remained still and hunched over in front of him clutching at her legs. He lifted his eyes away from her long enough to be sure they were still alone on the rooftop before he tried to question her. The last thing he wanted was to try to explain why the Princess had nearly hyperventilated before he knew what was the matter with her. Or worse have someone sneaking up on them while he was preoccupied. And so help the bastard that may have put her in such a state to begin with. He felt his vision going red at the thought of someone scaring her this badly.

"Kiddo?" She shuddered all over and he rubbed her back more firmly so she knew he was still there. He figured that last thing she needed was to think she was alone and afraid. Bad enough she was with someone and afraid. "What happened?"

Shaking her head against her legs she gave him one of her typical non-answer. "I won't come up here alone again. I didn't mean to upset you. I…I needed some air."

He felt his jaw tighten. "The air won't do much good if you can't take it in."

DG let out a ragged laugh. "You have me there."

He sighed quietly and tugged her into an upright position. As he pulled her around to face him she lifted her hand quickly and rubbed at her face. He frowned catching her wrist. In the soft glow from the city below he caught sight of her damp cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. She hadn't been crying before. She hadn't had the air to accomplish that. "Have you been crying?"

"No." Her eyes were directed toward his vest and he certainly didn't need Tin Man training to know she was lying to him.

He felt his heart constrict at the sight before him. He'd seen her cry before but she had been under more stress than he cared to think about. Finding out about her past the way she had would have been enough to make anyone loose control, but there was no reason that he knew of for her to be this upset right now. DG looked beyond exhausted and her apathy toward the fact that he was still holding her hand away from her body was beginning to grate at his nerves. Nothing about how she was acting was at all natural for her.

Reacting on instinct he gathered her up and pulled her into a tight embrace as he leaned back against the tree she had been concealed under. He thought he should have been more startled than he was when she burrowed her head against his neck and clutched at his vest. He also thought it should have felt more uncomfortable than it was to wrap his arms around her body and hold her so closely and willingly against his chest. Instead his own feelings of panic subsided slightly as she pressed closer to him.

Running his hand over her hair he tried again knowing the only way to get an answer was sheer persistence. "What happened, Kid?" She remained silent but her knees came up to press against his leg. He continued to prod. "I'm not going to leave you alone until you answer me. Did someone hurt you?"

"No, it's stupid, Cain." Her whisper barely reached his ears.

He doubted that. DG wasn't that emotional. He'd only seen her cry once before in the year they'd know each other. And in that time they'd been through a hell of a lot. "Try me."

The volume of her voice didn't increase. "I started having that stupid nightmare again."

Again? What did she mean again? "What nightmare?" He would love to know what had driven her out of her room three times that he knew of.

"Stupid." She muttered. That statement didn't stop her from tightening her grip on him.

He continued to stroke her hair slowly working his fingers through the wavy strands. "Tell me about it."

The princess sighed deeply. "Can't we just call label this as another one of my crazy Otherside quirks and move on with life?"

"I don't think so." If she thought she was going to wriggle out of this one then she was the one with half a brain.

She didn't move her face away from his neck when she haltingly admitted her secret to him. "Every few months I have nightmares about what happened in the mausoleum. They just start and go on for a week or so. Then they stop again."

That made him pause momentarily. How hadn't he been aware of this earlier? He should have known she was having problems if this had been going on for months. He tried to focus on the more immediate problem instead of berating himself for his lapse in attention. "What happened in the mausoleum? I thought you got the emerald and then left."

He felt her shudder and try to pull away. He caught sight of her stricken face and knew she'd spoken without thinking again. He held onto her preventing her from taking off. She didn't run often but he knew it was her reaction whenever she felt trapped. Although he would admit she usually made a more discrete exit or redirected the conversation with humor. He had never pushed her about it before, knowing what it was like to have to deal with things you didn't want to, but he was worried now.

"That's exactly what happened." He knew that was a lie. Ahamo had disappeared at some point. And the Witch had taken the emerald too.

Yanking her back to his chest he locked eyes with her. "No!" He pushed at her harder than he ever had before. Whatever this was he needed to know about so he could help her with it. Protecting her didn't always mean coddling her, as her parents seemed to think. "Don't lie to me, DG! Tell me what happened while you were alone."

Her lip quivered as her eyes went distant. "She locked me in a coffin. I kept calling for you and no one came." Her breathing began to get erratic again and he caught her face hoping to bring her back into the moment with him. "I don't know how you stayed in that suit for that long without going crazy."

He understood in a flash why she was up here. She was claustrophobic. He could relate to waking up in a dark room and thinking he was stuck somewhere much more confined. She wasn't lying when she said she couldn't breathe. "DG, open your eyes. You're not trapped anymore." Her eyes opened and he saw shame flash across them. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb turning her head so she could see the rest of the garden. "You have plenty of air."

DG blinked rapidly as if confirming what he had said. "You must think I'm completely pathetic. I was only in there for a few hours."

He suppressed the urge to hit something. He couldn't believe he had never once asked her about this. That he hadn't noticed something was wrong. "You're not pathetic. The suit was different than a coffin." He pulled her face back so he could look her in the eye. Fighting back his own repulsion at the memories he forced himself to speak calmly to her. "It put me in a kind of stasis. I had air and I could see." He paused fighting back the memories of what he had been forced to watch through the small round window. "I wasn't worried I was going to die and I didn't age. I didn't feel time pass the way you did. The magic does that."

She gulped slightly. "You…" She cut herself off before she could ask her question choosing to nod instead.

"I?" He figured dragging her inquisitive nature out was a good plan of action. It was more like her than this fearful state he had found her in.

"You didn't age?"

He chuckled despite himself at her question. "Not like I would have out of the suit. I figure I aged about a month for every year I was in there."

She sniffed as she tilted her head at him. Curiosity was rapidly replacing everything else. "So…how old are you?"

"How old am I plus ten months or chronologically by time?"

The princess's eyebrows came together as she tried to untangle the question. "Both."

He smiled softly wiping the last of the tear tracks away. "I'm forty-four chronologically and I figure I'm almost thirty-five if you figure the suit in."

Lip twitching she leaned into his hand. "The more I learn about magic the weirder it gets."

Grunting in agreement he was suddenly very aware that she was still pressed against his body and looking at him trustingly. Those eyes were going to be his undoing. He needed to get the girl back in bed before he did something he hadn't even considered since he was twenty years old. "You can ask Tutor about it in the morning. Right now it's time to get you back to your room."

She frowned unhappily. "I don't want to go back inside. I like it up here."

"How much time have you been spending up here?"

"Ummm…"

He mock growled. "DG…"

"Only the last few nights." When he raised an eyebrow she pointed out toward the city. "Don't glare at me! Look the lights make the metal all sparkly!"

He grunted and moved her to the side as he stood up. "You can't stay up here forever." Leaning back down he hooked his arms under hers and hauled her up.

DG's shoulders slumped. "I know but I can't catch my breath inside."

"And you won't always be able to get outside when this happens." He needed to be sure she could deal with this in a better way than she was. "Come on. Let's see what we can do about this."

She balked when he started leading her to the entrance of the palace. Most of the progress he had made with her over the course of their talk vanished in an instant. "Cain, please, I can't do this right now."

Turning he took hold of her shoulders and held her still. "Yes you can. You can do this." He saw her open her mouth to protest and forged on. "It's only a building and I promise I'll stay with you."

She eyed him warily. "Promise?"

"Have I ever broken my word, Princess?"

She pressed her lips together. "Alright, but you can't laugh if a freak out."

"I would never laugh at you when you're afraid." He wondered who had made fun of her in the past for her to make that demand.

"Ok." Catching his hand in her smaller one she let him take the lead. He rubbed her knuckles softly as he opened the door. This, he thought as she clutched at him, was going to be a challenge. But most things involving his princess were.

Author Note: Fred strikes again!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I'm setting traps for Tin Man…

His eyes snapped open, his body on full alert in an instant. Repressing the urge to curse his hand snapped out and scooped up his gun from its resting place on the nightstand next to him. Whoever this was, they were either damn brave or downright stupid to be sneaking into his living quarters in the dead of night. He wasn't sure what noise they had made on the other side of his door or if it was the fact that he could simply feel someone, but something was off in the small room between his bedroom and the hallway.

Pulling the hammer back he got out of the bed as noiselessly as possible. This was all he needed, a suicidal assassin. Because coming after him gave them about the same odds of living as hurling themselves off the top of the Tower. Moving closer to the door he made a slow silent arch to the wall, his feet sinking into the carpet, intending to shoot the stupid bastard the second they opened the door. No point in beating around the bush when it came to sneak attacks.

He managed to keep his breathing even as he watched the crack between the floor and the door. A shadow on the darkness passed under it and his eyes narrowed. And Jeb said he was getting old. Now all he had to do was get rid of this guy and get to-

"Cain?" DG's hesitant whisper was so soft he doubted he would have heard it if he hadn't been hugging the wall. He dropped his arm to his side and looked up at the ceiling asking briefly for patience. He had nearly shot her. He would love to know how to begin to explain that in the morning.

With a soft sigh he took two steps to the left and opened the door. The princess jumped back at the swift response to a request he was pretty sure she hadn't thought he would hear. It took him all of a second to work out why she was here. Clad in those Otherside pants she liked so much and a cream colored camisole that she should not have left her room in, she was wringing her hands and trembling from head to foot. Her eyes ran from his bare chest to the gun in his hand and she looked away quickly. "I'm sorry." Her voice shook with barely controlled fear. "You said I should come if… I didn't mean to bother you."

She started backing up, shame flashing across her face, before he reached out and took hold of her upper arm. He had forgotten what he had told her when the adrenaline had hit him. After he had led her back to her room from the rooftop garden the last time, he had told her to come to him next time she felt trapped. He would rather handle this with her than have her vanish on him again. It wasn't safe for her to try to escape the guards or the safety of the palace walls when she had these nightmares.

But she hadn't as much as mentioned that night in almost four months. She hadn't come looking for him and she and she made no indication that anything at all had happened. He had tried to bring it up once when they were alone and she had shut down on him so fast it set his head spinning. He had half hoped that what happened on the roof was going to be a one time incident but he had known better than that. So he'd kept his mouth shut and decided to wait her out. Seemed his patience had won out over her stubborn streak in the end.

He tugged her carefully back toward him. "I remember what I said. It's fine that you're here. You startled me is all." His eyes flicked to the closed hallway door. It was still firmly locked and he knew he hadn't heard it open. DG wasn't stealthy enough to have gotten through without it making noise and he was almost positive she couldn't pick a lock. Although that one was a fifty fifty with this young woman. "How'd you get in?"

"Oh." She fidgeted. "The hallways were too narrow so I shimmered."

His eyebrows came together. "You what?" He needed to sit her down so they could go over her vocabulary. Piecing it together a little at a time was starting to make him feel idiotic. Then again he liked it when her eyes lit up knowing she was about to teach him something.

"I shimmered." She was still shaking as she tried to explain it to him, no sparkle present in her eyes. "Like what a travel storm does but with only me and no wind."

He grunted impressed. He'd seen her sister do that once. He hadn't known she'd made it that far in her magic lessons. "Ok. You shimmered."

Her eyes were firmly planted at her feet. "You're not angry?"

He glanced at her sharply. "Angry? Why would I be angry?" The princess shrugged her shoulders. He rubbed his thumb over her chilled skin. "Kid?"

"I wasn't sure you meant it." Is that what the problem here was? As if night terrors weren't bad enough she thought he had been lying to her? Glinda's sparkling wand… This was the problem with having people lie to you your whole life. DG was so insecure she didn't know who to believe about anything. He couldn't blame her for it either.

Pulling her against him he held her close with his one free arm and kissed the top of her head. DG let out a shuddering sigh and wrapped her slender arms around his waist. Stroking her back he knew he was treading in dangerous territory. If he wasn't so worried about her he was sure he'd already be lost in her. It had become a habit recently, finding ways to touch her, it seemed all he could do was to keep it as minimal as possible and even that was becoming difficult. The thing was she never so much as batted an eye at the contact, as if it were a perfectly natural way for a person to act. It was throwing him so badly he didn't know what to do with her.

"Of course I meant it, Darlin'." He winced over her head as soon as the words left his mouth. That should not have slipped out. He knew better than that. But the princess didn't seem to notice in her state and nodded against his bare shoulder. Turning his head he cursed at the fact that his sitting room didn't have any windows and began to back up, slowly ushering her into his bedroom with him. He needed to get air circulating near her before she tried to stop breathing again.

Glancing up she let her arms loosen but he held her to him as he made his way backward. "We're going to sit by the window." She didn't try to get away after that. Instead she pushed into him to hurry him along as she tried to concentrate on her breathing. "Calm down." He soothed her as he stumbled into the sill, hitting his hip painfully. "Remember what I said last time?"

Her hands tightened on the fabric around his hips as he let her go long enough to unlatch the window and push it outward a few inches. He didn't want to open it all the way. She needed to get used to closed up rooms a little at a time. "I'm not trapped." She mumbled distractedly. Her breathing was starting to waver and his hand returned to her ribcage. He grunted an affirmative and eased them down to the floor so she was settled between his legs. Setting his gun next to them he turned her while catching her under her knees. He quickly threw them over one of his legs and tucked her body against his.

"What else?" The princess didn't answer she just started shaking harder. Damn it. "DG? What else did I say?"

She sucked in air and answered. "I'm not trapped and I have plenty of space. There's nothing stopping me from moving or leaving the building if I need to. And if things get to bad you'll take me outside yourself."

"That's right." He buried his hand in her hair and tilted her head gently up so she could feel the breeze coming through the window on her face. "Do you feel better now?"

Instead of aiming her face toward the window she hid it under his chin. "No." He had to suppress a moan when her lips brushed his skin as she continued to talk. "I'm so petrified of my own room that I had to come wake you up. I feel stupid and small and needy. I don't like not being able to handle this by myself."

The way she said that made him feel sad for her suddenly. "You're not used to anyone taking care of you are you?"

"Momster and Popsicle always took care of me." She mumbled.

He tended to doubt they took care of her the way she needed it. "They betrayed you." He stated bluntly. "They lied to you."

He felt moisture on his neck although the tone of her voice never wavered. "Everyone lies to me." Her voice dropped again. "Except for you." She conceded quietly.

He sighed wishing that wasn't true and knowing it was. "I'm sorry, Kid."

"For what?" He heard genuine confusion in her voice as her tremors slowly eased off. At least she was calming down for him.

"That they made this so hard for you."

She was quiet for a long time as his hand ran over her. "Is it supposed to be easy? Just letting someone know what terrifies you? Exposing yourself?" She shook her head. "You act as if you walk around telling people your greatest fear."

He wondered if his princess had ever had a real friend in her life. "Depends on who you're talking to. Trust is a valuable thing." She was too close and too warm. He gambled his future on his next few words. "I figure sharing your burden with someone that loves you makes things easier."

"I'll take you're word for it, Cain."

He rolled his eyes. Of course he would need to spell it out. "You don't have to take my word for it, DG. I'm not about to go anywhere."

Her head jerked away from its resting place on his shoulder. Her eyes came up to his sparking with uncertainty. "What?"

He moved his hand slowly from her side to her face caressing it lovingly, his eyes never leaving hers. It didn't matter if she didn't feel the same way. He'd known it was over for him for a while now. He was tired of fighting it and he wanted to tell her what she'd done to him. "Didn't you know, DG? Didn't you guess?" She stared at him her eyes whirling. "After everything we've been through? The way I watch you? The way I can't seem to keep my hands off of you?"

The fact that she didn't pull away immediately was encouraging. "I thought…" He began to stroke her cheek slowly as she stuttered. "I thought you were looking out for me." Her eyebrows came together. "That, that we were friends."

"We are friends, Kiddo. Nothing's going to change that." He saw relief flash across her face and smiled softly. "But I've been looking out for you in ways a friend doesn't for a while now."

The princess closed her eyes and he thought he'd lost her. His heart ached in way he would have denied was possible a little over a year ago and he brushed her cheek one last time. He should have known better than to have told her. He hadn't thought it would hurt this much when she turned him down. Before he could decided on the best way to get away from her without making her feel uncomfortable or bring back the fear from her nightmare she nuzzled her face against his hand.

He sucked in a sharp breath and she raised one of her own hands to cover his. "I won't be able to stop this if we start, Tin Man."

Leaning forward he rested his forehead against hers and waited for her to open her eyes. When she did he saw her uncertainty. It was a strange thing to see that in her. She usually didn't take the time to think about anything long enough to be uncertain about it. His lip twitched up at the corner. "You've thought about this."

She huffed and tried to twist away but he held her in place. "Don't make fun of me." She whispered and he felt the twitch turn into a full out smile.

"Turn about's fair play, Princess." The tension that had built up in his shoulders had begun to release the moment she had taken hold of his hand.

"Caiiiin." DG whined softly bumping against his hand.

Moving his hand around her neck he pulled her closer against him. "Come here, Darlin'." Her eyes fluttered closed again as she leaned into his kiss without hesitation. He brushed his lips over hers softly taking the time to learn how she felt, how she tasted. He'd been waiting for this for so long he didn't want to rush this, didn't want to rush her, and he certainly didn't want to go much farther with her tonight. Not after the fright she'd had. And by Ozma she was sweet.

He felt DG's arms wrap around his neck and for once indulged himself. Tilting her head farther back he deepened the kiss dragging a low moan from the back of her throat. His heart was beating hard in his chest as his body temperature rose, and he knew he needed to break this off while he still could. Drawing back slowly he took the time to kiss the side of her mouth, her nose, her cheeks, and her eyelids as he dragged his fingers through her hair.

He could sense her confusion when he pulled away from her. "Cain?" Those inquisitive eyes of hers were back on his.

"Not tonight, DG." He repositioned her so she was leaning her back against his chest. He kissed her temple as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Don't think I don't want you." That was an understatement. He had to kiss her again at the thought of letting her go. "We can talk about this tomorrow when we're both thinking clearly."

The princess gave a breathy laugh. "You want to talk? About our feelings and stuff? Watch out, I think the Ice Palace just melted."

"Hey now!" He poked her ribs and she let out a squeal. "None of that!"

"Stop it! That tickles!" She thrashed back against him batting at his hand. A chuckle burst from him as his hand fell away from her. She twisted around her eyes sparkling. "You think that was funny?" He grinned at her and she pounced in retribution. He caught her arms as she went for his ribs and pulled them up until her hands were on his shoulders.

He caught her lips a second time and she melted against him with a sigh. Sucking on her lower lip he cupped the back of her leg urging her closer. She complied quickly, hooking her leg around his hip and arching up until her face was level with his. He splayed his hand out over her as he groaned and she broke the kiss with a gasp. "Thought you wanted to wait?"

Damn, he did. They needed to talk when they were both less tightly wound. "Right." He cleared his throat. "We need to talk. Tomorrow." His princess began to toy with his hair simply to torment him he was sure. "Now we should sleep." She frowned and her eyes went to the door and then the window above their heads. And she was still frightened even if she wasn't near as bad as she was when she woke him up.

He wondered if he could handle having her close all night without losing his mind. "If you stay with me can you shimmer back to your room when I wake you up?" He'd have to get her up in a few hours, before dawn but some sleep was better than none at all. They didn't need any gossip starting when someone went in to wake her and she was missing.

"I thought-"

"Only to sleep. You need to be back before anyone else wakes up." She nodded her understanding and he pushed her to her feet. After helping him up she turned and headed to his bed crawling under the blankets he had tossed to the side. He got in after her and bit his tongue when she curled up against him. It was going to be a long night.

Author Note: So Fred decided this was not a one shot. Oh how he lies to me! But seriously, I know I keep bouncing around on my fics and I apologize for that but my muse is restless. I hope you guys understand and I'm not abandoning any of them. It's just some are getting out before others. So stay tuned and tell me how you're feeling. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:…Not mine…Not mine….Not, whatever.

He couldn't for the life of him remember a time when he wanted the suns to come up less. Generally he enjoyed the mornings along with a strong cup of coffee that accompanied them. It was also the time he caught up with Jeb when he wasn't out with his regiment. They'd meet and have breakfast while the rest of the palace woke up. And he would openly admit that talking to his son was something he was fond of. He smiled slightly as he remembered how uncomfortable they had been around each other for a while.

Jeb had changed over the last ten years and it had taken him time to understand that. The first few months after they had found each other had been strained. Jeb wasn't used to being watched or questioned about anything after leading a rough and tumble group of rebels around for the better part of two years, and he wasn't used to suddenly having a son that no longer took his word as law. Eventually the tension had built up so high that they got into a shouting match that had rocked the walls. It was fortunate, in his opinion, that DG and Raw had happened to be in the room when they had finally snapped.

What had started out as a simple query from DG as she sketched a picture of the viewer quickly turned nasty when they couldn't agree on the answer. Three months of tension that had been bottled up on both sides was unleashed with a bang. He had seen the Furball try to intervene only to have the princess grab him by the arm and yank him back down on the couch they were sitting on. After ten minutes of shouting until they were both red in the face and several hurtful things had been spat out on both sides his son had stormed out of the room with one last hurled curse.

The Princess had simply sat up on her knees and leaned over the back of the sofa as Raw cowered in the corner. "Feel better?"

For the first time ever he had turned on her, showing more anger to her than he ever had, or was even remotely justifiable. "Of course I don't feel better!" His snarled shout left her completely unfazed.

Leaning forward she locked eyes with him. "You should probably go apologize then."

"Apologize?" He remembered having a feeling of incredulity at that remark. "What the hell for?"

"For treating him like he's seven and not seventeen." He'd never seen such a combination of passivity and firmness in his life. "You're not going to get anywhere with him unless you start talking to him like he's a man and not a boy."

He had narrowed his eyes and stormed up to her, his emotions boiling over. "How dare you tell me how to handle my son?"

She raised an eyebrow and poked him hard in the chest as he invaded her space. "Because you've been doing such a good job on your own. Christ, Cain! You two were throwing off so much pent up anger you made Raw start to shake! You need to get a grip or he's going to take off!"

His anger spiked and he grabbed her wrist so she would stop jabbing him. For a moment he forgot that she was a princess, one he had sworn on his life to protect, and had enough magic to blast him into several pieces if she chose. He was too pissed off to care. "And what do you know about being a parent?"

"Nothing, but I have a fair bit of experience with being smothered!" Her eyes glinted at him as she sat up straighter so they were closer to eye level. "Use your head! What would you do if you were his age and couldn't talk to your father without feeling like an idiot kid instead of a well respected military leader?"

His anger suddenly shifted focus. He wasn't sure if he was angrier with her for pointing out the damn obvious or him for not seeing where this was heading. He let her go as his eyes narrowed as he tried to defend himself. "He's my son." He hoped that statement would clarify his need to look out for Jeb. That was what he'd been trying to do.

She rolled her eyes. "No duh. The blond hair and stubborn as a mule attitude kinda give that away."

The viewer had the audacity to chuckle softly. He turned his eyes on him trying to intimidate him back into silence only to have DG grab hold of his face with both hands. His glare melted away when she tilted his head down to her face that was so very open. "I know it's rough, Tin Man. I know what it's like trying to find common ground with your family." She smiled a sad little smile then. "I also know you'd do anything for him." He felt her small hands brush his cheeks as she drove her point home. "You just have to get it through that thick head of yours that he's grown up."

He grunted and her eyes softened at whatever she saw on his face. He was betting it was grudging acceptance. That had been the first time an inkling of what kind of effect she had on him occurred to him. He had belatedly realized, even if she'd been wrong, that he most likely would have done what she'd suggested anyway. "I'll go apologize."

She smiled happily at him. "Good. You'll be happier if you two stop fighting all the time."

He huffed in amusement. "Have you been worrying about how content I am?"

Grinning up at him she moved one of her hands from his cheek to his chest, resting it lightly over his heart. "Nope, been worried you might have a heart attack now that it's beating again. I can't have that." She shoved him with the tips of her fingers. "Now go on. I have things to do." With that she flopped back down and picked up her pencil and sketchpad.

He sighed and stepped away. Grabbing his hat he had walked out the door intent on finding his son. As he closed it behind him he heard Raw rumbling something quietly to the princess and her muffled laughter. He had to admit after another uncomfortable hour with Jeb that she had been right. The fighting between them had stopped after that and while their talks after hadn't always run as smoothly as he'd liked they had reached a comfortable place. A few months after that and the tenseness had melted away entirely. Jeb was a good man with a clever head on his shoulders. He had DG to thank for making him see that.

The memory faded to the back of his mind as the princess in question turned over in his arms and snuggled closer to him in her sleep. Trying to doze off with her spooned up against him had proved to be impossible. He thought that the lack of sleep was an acceptable compromise given the situation. The last few hours had been the most pleasant torture he had ever encountered. He was disappointed that it was going to end.

Reaching up he ran his hand over her hair. "Princess, time to get up." DG muttered something unintelligible under her breath but didn't wake up. He stifled a chuckle. She was stubborn even when she was sleeping. "DG." His hand made its way down to her neck. "Wake up."

A soft sound escaped her as her eyes fluttered open. "Cain?" Her groggy voice was thick with confusion.

He hummed and began to massage her. "You need to get back to your room. The first sun'll be up in a few minutes."

Pressing back into his hand she let her eyes fall closed. "Ok." He smiled as she stretched out along the side of his body, a low sigh of pleasure falling from her lips. She wasn't moving. The woman knew how to break his resolve didn't she?

"Darlin-" He pressed his lips against her hair. "-if you don't leave now you're not going to."

"Ok." Her hand snaked up to catch his forearm as she pressed closer to him.

He groaned into her hair before carefully sitting up. "You promised me you would. Come on now."

"Wrong." He frowned down at her as she reached out and ran a hand up his back leaving a trail of fire in its wake. "I said that I could not that I would."

He rolled his eyes as he bent down and wrapped his arm around her waist hauling her up and into his lap. "Clever." She smiled mischievously at him before leaning forward and catching his lips with hers. Catching the back of her head he couldn't stop himself from drawing her flush against him. The princess sighed in satisfaction as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Her warm lips caressed his until he couldn't think straight. Twisting around he held her soft body to him as he lowered them both back down to the bed. Tracing her lips with his tongue he let his hand creep up to caress her side sliding over soft cream color silk. DG arched up into him at the same time she hooked a leg over the back of his thigh dragging him closer to her. A ragged gasp escaped him as she rubbed her hips against his. He was going to loose it if she kept this up, it had been too long. "DG-"

Grabbing her face he kissed her hard one last time before propping himself up on his elbow. She rocked against him again and he growled at her. "Stop, Darlin'."

Her blue eyes were slightly unfocused as they flashed up to him. "What's wrong?"

"You deserve more than a quick tumble in the sheets and that's all we're going to have time for this morning." She blinked at him and he cursed himself for sticking to his principals. He was closing in on his limit here. "Please, DG. I want more than that with you. I want to be able to keep you for a while."

"I want that too." Her soft reply was hesitant and shy as her aggressive attitude vanished like smoke on the wind. She leaned up and kissed him sweetly before letting her legs fall away from him. He knew he should get off of her but the uncertainty she was suddenly displaying confused him. With the way she'd been reacting he thought she'd done this before. Now his princess seemed as nervous as the viewer usually was.

He searched her eyes and started to ask her what was wrong when someone knocked on his outer door. He stiffened his head snapping around. "Dad? Are you up yet?"

He sat up and DG scrambled out from under him. She flashed him an embarrassed smile, kissed him on the cheek, and vanished from his side in the blink of an eye. He was left staring at the space she had inhabited her scent clinging to him. Shaking his head to clear it he quickly grabbed a shirt out of his dresser and threw it on. "Coming." Closing his bedroom door behind him he buttoned his shirt up as he walked across his sitting room.

When he opened the main door he found his son lounging against the doorframe with a smirk on his lips. "Too early for you old man?"

He raised an eyebrow and moved back inside. "Hardly."

"Really?" Jeb was smirking at him as he flopped down on one of the chairs near his fireplace. "Sure took you long enough to answer the door. If you need more rest all you have to do is tell me. We can move family hour to midday."

His reply was bland. "I'll keep that in mind."

Blue eyes that reminded him of Adora glinted at him. "If we're going to eat I suggest you finish getting ready. I have to leave on patrol in an hour."

"You young people are always in a hurry." His son chuckled at the jibe as he headed back toward his room. "Give me five minutes."

Heading back to his bathroom he flipped on the light and dug his razor out. He was halfway done shaving when he heard Jeb walk in. Suppressing the urge to chuckle at his son's impatience, sometimes he still acted like he was still five years old; he raised an eyebrow as he sauntered into the doorway. "You can't be that hungry."

Jeb's blue eyes were narrowed as he regarded him. "If I didn't know better I would think you haven't slept."

"And why's that?" He continued to rid himself of the last of his morning stubble as he realized he was slowly getting backed into a corner.

Jeb crossed his arms. "You have circles under your eyes, you haven't shaved, and you're not dressed. This would be the first time in over a year that you haven't been ready to go when I got here."

He grunted as he accidentally nicked his jaw. Picking up a cloth he wiped away the last of the shaving cream on his face and stepped back into the bedroom. "First time for everything."

His son's eyes scanned the room as he shrugged his holster on. "Uhuh."

He needed to get them going before Jeb could ask any more questions. "Now you're holding us up."

He managed to get Jeb out of his rooms with relatively little struggle, which put him on edge. It wasn't often that the boy let something go. They had that in common. But Jeb appeared to be over his bout of inquisitiveness or decided he was too hungry to care. For the life of him he couldn't remember seeing anyone eat the way his son did. He could eat three times as much as he did at a meal and be hungry an hour later. He wasn't sure where he put all of it as thin as he was. Maybe he was making up for the meals he'd lost while living in the woods.

By the time he had made it through his meal and was sipping his coffee in a small parlor they ate in he had relaxed. Jeb swallowed and was reaching for another piece of toast when he sprang, his voice neutral. "How long have you been sleeping with DG?"

He choked as the hot liquid went down the wrong way. "Excuse me?"

His son's face was impassive as he bit into the warm bread. "Dad, please. I'm not stupid. You had someone in your bed last night. Your pillows had two depressions and black hairs on them so unless you got in the way of one nasty spell and grew a second head…"

He tried to think of a way to salvage the situation. "It's not like that, Jeb." Not yet at any rate.

"Really?" He chewed slowly his eyes never wavering. "Tell me what its like then."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose in agitation. He had never expected to have this conversation with Jeb. At least not with the roles reversed. Wasn't it his job to ask his _son_ these questions? Looking up he decided to be as honest as he could. The last thing he wanted was a wedge between them. "Jeb, I know you miss your mother-"

"This has nothing to do with Mom."

He sighed. He wished this wasn't so complicated because he hated this feeling of strangeness between them. "In a way it does. I'm not trying to replace her if that's what you're thinking."

Blonde eyebrows came together. "Dad-"

"And I know you see DG as a friend but I don't."

"Dad-"

He had a feeling he was talking too much. "But I'm not going to pretend that I don't care for her."

"Dad!" He clamped his mouth shut at Jeb's raised voice. "I only wanted to know if anyone else knew. I had wondered why she'd been turning away suitors."

"She what?" He must not have heard that correctly. He hadn't known anything about that. How had he not known about that?

Jeb gave him a hard look. "Aren't you head of security? She's been having Glitch sending them off before they can meet her."

He searched his son's face for a long moment. "I didn't know." He started pondering the implications of that when a low chuckle floated across the table. His eyebrow went up in question.

"You might want to look out for her. If she managed to keep that fact from a trained Tin Man she's better than I thought." She'd managed to keep her nightmares from him as well. They really needed to have that talk. Jeb must have seen his thoughts drifting because he stood picking up an apple. "I've got to go." His son stared down at him and pointed a finger at him. "Don't screw this up old man."

He felt his jaw fall slightly open as his son went out to patrol. He hadn't thought Jeb would accept this so easily. Shaking his head he stood up quickly and headed out the door. He had a princess to talk to.

Author Note: Do you know what makes me write more? I knew you did!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Sadly it isn't mine!

He found DG in her rooms shuffling through a desk drawer single-mindedly. He raised an eyebrow at her intensity as he shut the door noiselessly behind him. It wasn't uncommon for him to spend time alone with her, so at least coming to see her wasn't going to cause any talk to start up. The princess had been labeled as an odd duck early on by most of the palace staff and they had simply started to ignore her after about six months of what they viewed as eccentric behavior. Inviting unattached men into her room was the least of the stories she had already produced. Fortunately she didn't seem to mind being on the receiving end of odd looks or perhaps she was used to it. He could never decide.

Shaking his head he walked up and leaned against the desk as he greeted her. "Hey there, Princess."

She jumped, hitting her hand on the inside of the drawer she was rummaging through. Pulling it out and shaking it she shot him a rueful smile. "Would you stop sneaking up on me?"

He grinned down at her. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes and shoved the drawer shut as she swiveled around in her seat. "What's up, Tin Man?"

He eyed her and noted that whatever had come over her this morning right before she shimmered away seemed to have disappeared. DG appeared to be back to her normal spunky self again. Catching the hand she had banged he lifted it to his lips and kissed the slightly red skin tenderly. A pale pink blush bloomed on her cheeks and he smiled at her as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. Encouraged by the display he flipped her hand over and brushed his lips over the inside of her wrist.

DG sucked in a soft breath and he had to physically restrain himself from pulling her into his arms and carrying her to the bed. "Do you have time to talk now?"

Her nervousness suddenly returned but she nodded. "Yeah. I cancelled my lesson with Tutor." She started to say something else then stopped and looked at the top of her desk. Tilting his head he crouched down in front of her never letting go of her hand. Reaching up with his other hand he turned her face back to his and waited. He knew DG wouldn't be able to stand the quiet for long and then, like always, his own curiosity over what she was thinking would be satisfied. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know how to do this."

"You don't know how to do what?"

The princess answered him reluctantly. "Be with someone. I'm… bad at it."

She had to be kidding. If there was one thing DG was good at it was making people feel like they belonged. He couldn't imagine her having a problem staying in a relationship but she looked sincere. "I have a hard time believing that."

She lowered her head as if she were embarrassed. "I have a way of constantly screwing things up. Last night and this morning I thought… Look, Cain, you said we would be friends no matter what and I thought you meant that and a bit more until this ran its course with you. Then this morning when you stopped us I just…" She floundered to a halt now completely avoiding his eyes at all costs.

He wasn't entirely sure what to do with that statement. He had thought he had been clear last night but she had gotten the wrong idea. No wonder she had been so forward or that she had backed off so fast this morning. He felt a surge of anger that she would think so little of herself. Then almost simultaneously he was hit with a wave of uncertainty about what kinds of relationships she had been in before if she automatically assumed he was going to get tired of her. He forced himself to follow her reasoning as quickly as possible. He was betting that if she had simply wanted him to share her bed she wouldn't have let him go as quickly as she did. He was now very thankful he had decided to talk to her before anything started between them.

Shifting so he could see her eyes again he turned her face back. He was going to have to tread carefully with her or she was going to bolt on him. "Darlin', I wouldn't be happy unless I could have you all the time."

She searched his face and he could see her confusion. "No one wants me all the time."

He was going to kill someone. He couldn't decide if it should be her parents, her nurture units, or a previous lover, provided he could locate them, but someone was going to die. Suddenly he saw her words from the night before in a different context. DG hadn't been telling him that she understood he loved her. He wasn't entirely sure she understood the concept when it related to her. She had been giving him permission to get as close to her as anyone else ever had. He was starting to think that emotionally the most the princess had ever expected from anyone _was_ friendship. The fact that he had told her they would remain friends once their implied tryst was over was probably the most reassuring thing she had ever heard in her life.

And she had never said anything about her wants. She had simply warned him that she wouldn't be able to stop. He had a feeling that had been as close to admitting that she was afraid of what she perceived as a fling as she was going to muster. Because after that she had simply given in to the sensations he had been providing. He had probably confused the hell out of her when he insisted they get some sleep instead of taking her right then.

"DG, I need you to listen to me." She nodded against his hand. "I love you and I want to be with you." It was amazing how easy this was to say to her considering how hard he had been fighting it. "What you're talking about? It would end up hurting us both. The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

Biting her lip she dipped her head again. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." He wasn't sure she did but he was willing to show her.

He stroked her temple, and pleased that he thought they had cleared that up for the moment, asked her a question that had been gnawing at him since this little revelation. "Now you need to tell me what you want."

He could almost see her fighting a battle behind those blue eyes of hers. "I don't want to do this if it means I'm going to loose you." He heard anxiety creeping into her voice. "I'm sorry that this scares me. No one ever treated me the way you do. When you say thing you do them, you mean them. Then all of a sudden you were taking care of me in the garden and everything changed and I don't know why." She took a deep breath. "Like I said, I don't know how to do this."

He didn't know how to reassure her. He couldn't see the future and wasn't about to lie to her and tell her everything was sure to be all right. "DG, sometimes all you can do is try."

He hadn't been sure that was the right thing to say until she leaned forward and kissed him. Her lips barely brushed his as if she were afraid he was going to disappear if she wanted him too much. Holding her jaw he kept the kiss easy as his arm went around her waist and dragged her out of the chair. Her arms went around his shoulders as he stood them up and he felt a tremor run through her.

Pulling back enough to see her he knew he needed to warn her before dragging her off to bed. "If we do this it's for keeps, Princess." He knew himself enough to know he wasn't going to be able to let her go after this.

In response she grabbed the back of his head and yanked him to her. Growling into her mouth he bent over slightly and swept her up in his arms. She gasped as her feet left the ground and he felt a thrill as her arms wrapped more firmly around his shoulders as he headed deeper into her suite. Crossing the threshold to her bedroom he kicked the door shut with his boot as his mind commented briefly on how light his princess was. He needed to get her to eat more or she was likely to float away on him.

Then his thought process shut down as her teeth found the sensitive skin above his collar. Stifling a curse he managed to make it the rest of the way to her bed and sat her down on the edge. Her hands fell away from his neck and snaked down to the belt of his holster as she continued to tease his neck with her mouth. Reaching out he caught the hem of her embroidered shirt and began to slowly push it up her rib cage. For now he let her help rid them of their clothes but he was going to have to stop her soon. He was already close to the edge with her pressed up against him and her scent wafting up to him from her hair. He wanted them both to enjoy this and that wasn't going to happen unless he could stay focused.

Peeling the shirt up over her head he managed to get her to let go long enough to for her to remove her arms from the garment and caught her wrists as she tried to go back to work on his now loose holster. She froze immediately and even in the thickening haze he found himself in due to the lacy contraption she was wearing under her top, he realized he was going to have to be patient with her until she felt emotionally secure with him all the time. Smiling softly at her he kissed both her palms before trailing his lips down her arms. "This time you're going to have to sit back and be patient for me."

Understanding flashed in her eyes and she shot him a tentative smile. Leaning forward he tugged her closer to the edge of the bed and began to unfasten her pants. At the same time he pressed his lips against her ribs and she gasped her hands flying to his shoulders and bunching the material of his shirt. Fighting back his own reaction to how responsive she was he instead focused on the fact that she had enjoyed that. Once her pants were loose he snaked his arm around and splayed his hand out over the small of her back, holding her in place while he started mapping her skin with his lips and tongue.

Her breathing hitched and her hands tightened as he took his sweet time exploring her. It was easier to focus when she wasn't flat against him or under him as she had been before. As he worked his way up toward the lace he felt her stiffen and then relax so fast he wasn't sure he would have noticed it unless she had done it a second time. Straitening up he placed a kiss on her collarbone before dragging his face away from her body. Looking up at he saw she was flushed and panting from his attention. Then he noticed the slight look of panic in her eyes.

She'd had a similar look after her nightmares. "DG?" He kept his voice as soft and calm as possible considering his own turbulent emotions but he didn't want her afraid of him. That thought sobered him up enough to stop his body from shaking with its ever-increasing need.

"Sorry." The princess voice was genuinely apologetic. "I'm nervous."

Leaning in he kissed her softly as he pushed some stray hair behind her ear. "It's alright, Princess." He considered her for a second and even though he didn't exactly want to know he needed to before this escalated. While he thought she had lovers in the past it was only speculation on his part. "Have you done this before?"

Her voice was barely a whisper. "Not like this."

He caught her meaning immediately and found her mouth again. He had been right earlier, she hadn't been expecting anything more than friendship from him, and apparently hadn't expected anything more from any one else. When the kiss ended he met her eyes. "It's better this way."

Her eyes whirled around that response but she didn't try to stop him when his hand slid up her back so he could rid her of the lace that was separating them. Easing the fabric forward she let go of his shirt so he could discard it. Once it was out of the way his mouth returned to her neck as he ran his hands over her small breasts. A whimper escaped her as he squeezed them gently and assaulted her pale skin. Her hips shot forward as he teased her and he felt a rumble run through his chest as she pressed against him. It had been so long since he'd had anyone in his arms. And despite her professed agitation she was very willing to get closer to him.

"Lay back." His voice had turned husky as his arousal increased and when she reluctantly let go of him he helped ease her flat down on the bed. Once she was lying still he caught the sides of her dark pants and started peeling them off of her slow enough that she could tell him to stop if she wanted to. When she made no protest he went ahead and hooked his thumbs under her underwear and eased them off her as well.

Twisting her head so she could see him he took advantage of her gaze and watched her face as he ran his hand up one of her thighs slowly before circling her center. DG let out a ragged gasp and clutched at the sheets as her eyes snapped closed. Smiling at her immediate reaction he flicked his thumb over the small nub that made her arch so sharply before dipping one of his fingers inside of her. She was already wet and her slick heat around his finger was making him crazy. He tried not to think about what she was going to feel like wrapped around other parts of him as he started driving her up.

Her breathy gasps were possible the most erotic thing he could remember hearing and he used his other hand to hold her hip down to the mattress so she couldn't squirm away from him. Pressing another finger inside of her he hooked them up and felt for the spongy spot he had been looking for. Dragging the tips of his fingers along it got him the response he had been looking for. DG arched up of the bed as she let out a strangled cry. "Wyatt!"

He continued to rub her as she came down, a part of him deeply satisfied that not only had he been the one to make her scream but that she had screamed _his_ name. When she began to quiver he withdrew long enough to pull his shirt over his head and kick off his boots and pants. By the time he laid down next to her eyes had fluttered open. When he reached for her she pulled him over her and kissed him, her tongue darting into his mouth.

As her leg wrapped around his hip he stifled a groan. He could feel the heat pouring off of her already. She whimpered urgently into his mouth and pressed her whole body against him in a rush. Catching her hip he managed to tear his mouth away from her as he came to an unfortunate realization. "Darlin', I'm not sure how long I'm going to be able to last this time."

"Please." He wasn't sure she had actually understood what he had said. Her small hands wrapped around his forearms urging him on. "Wyatt, please."

It was too much for him to take. Tightening his hold on her he positioned himself and thrust inside of her. He moaned at the feeling of her clutching him so hotly and she practically came off the bed trying to get him deeper. Now that he was in her his body took over and all he could do was fight off the inevitable as he moved inside her. He had been right to warn her. This was going to be embarrassingly short. But DG didn't seem to notice that he had only been in her for a few minutes before her moans began to escalate. Kissing his way up her neck he began to rub her clit with one hand in an effort to bring her to her peak before he lost control. He began to lose his pace a few moments later and she suddenly clenched around him with a sharp scream. Feeling her pulse around him finished it. Clasping at her he shoved as deep into her as he could manage before a shuddering orgasm washed over him. He cried her name into her hair as his body went stiff.

He didn't know how long he laid on her trying to catch his breath before his mind told him he might be crushing her. Still, she didn't seem to mind him as she pressed her face into his neck her own chest heaving from their activities. Managing to find some energy at last he rolled them onto their sides and slipped out of her. He wondered how long until he would be able to be in her again as he drew her body against his. He began to stroke her side as he checked on her. "Are you alright, DG?"

He felt her lips on his chest and sighed in contentment. "I've never felt anything like that before. That was _a lot_ better."

He puffed out slightly despite himself. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be able to give you the better than that." She tilted her head up and he saw amusement sparking in her eyes.

"If I didn't know better I would think you were trying to prove something. Could be fun for me."

He growled playfully down at her, his hands dancing over her ribs. He still had some questions about the suitor business but he supposed that could wait awhile.

Author Note: I feel smut should get extra reviews…I'm only saying.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine ;)

"DG… I don't want to know where you learned to do that, but feel free to do it again." She had made him see stars that last time.

Laying over him in a sweaty heap she laughed into his shoulder. "I thought you liked that with the way you begged me not to stop and all."

He grunted and turned his head so he could see her. "I did not beg." He was almost positive that she couldn't prove anything.

Her eyes were dancing when she lifted her head. "Oh no?" Bending her neck she kissed him under his jaw as her fingers splayed out over his chest. "In that case maybe I should wait to do it again until you stop fibbing."

He rolled his eyes as she gently encouraged him to tilt his head back. After her initial hesitation she had abandoned all pretense of shyness with him. He really shouldn't have been surprised that she was as playful in bed as she was anywhere else. Her lips were warm against his skin and his hand went over her back to hold her in place. He could tell from how languorously she was moving that she was as spent as he was. He hadn't given her much of a break since he had carried her into her room several hours ago. He had taken his time exploring her body between their bouts of lovemaking and had her calling out for him long before he pulled her against him again.

His princess made the most wonderful noises when he did something she liked. Her soft mewls and the flush that covered her body when he hit a sweet spot had him testing every part of her body to get the reaction he was looking for. She interrupted his foray into the recent past when she tickled him with her nose. "You smell good."

He chuckled softly and stroked the length of her spine. "I smell like I've been rolling around with you."

Propping herself up on her elbows she looked down at him with her wide blue eyes and he couldn't stop himself from running a hand over her tangled hair. He thought it looked even more appealing now than when it was nice and neat. "You smell like, Wyatt."

Amused to no end he shoved her curly hair back. "And what do I smell like?"

DG seemed to consider this seriously and lowered her head back to his skin. He heard her inhale softly right before she pressed a kiss to his chest. "You smell like that oil you use on your gun." She placed another kiss on his shoulder. "And like the woods even when I know you've been inside for the last two days." He felt warmth curling in him that had more to do with the fact that she was there than the fact that she was pressed over him naked. Taking hold of his hand she lifted it and placed a kiss on his palm. "But mostly you smell like you."

He smiled softly as she held his hand inspecting it thoroughly. "You smell like apple blossoms." He saw a smile flicker over her face as she continued to touch him. She was more tactile than he was usually comfortable with but over the last year he had gotten used to her, and the last few months he had looked forward to those hugs she was so fond of. Even before he had started entertaining ideas about her as anything more than a friend he hadn't minded her pounces when she got excited about something. Before he'd been put in the suit he hadn't liked physical contact with anyone except Adora and Jeb. He knew it stemmed from his work. With the people he was in contact with it was no wonder. The men and women he tracked down and dragged in weren't the cleanest. And they were usually wily.

"That's my soap. Az gave it to me for my birthday. She said before I was sent over it was my favorite. I'm sure it had something to do with that bear."

A bear? She'd lost him. "What do bears have to do with soap?"

DG burst into a fit of giggles. "It's a long story. Let's just say it wanted my apples. It was a bad bear."

Speaking of apples. His mind sped back to breakfast and what Jeb had told him. All thoughts of bears and soap left his mind. "Speaking of apples, I heard something interesting at breakfast this morning."

Her eyebrow twitched up. "If it sparked your interest it must be good. Does Jeb have a girlfriend or something?"

What? Ozma he didn't want to think about that. Jeb was too young to have started courting someone seriously… Then again he had been younger than his son when he had started pursuing Adora. Did Jeb have a love interest he wasn't aware of? Because if he did they needed to have a serious talk about what was expected from-

"Cain!" DG snapped her fingers in front of his face. He blinked up at her and she grinned. "Didn't mean to throw you into a panic there."

He frowned. "I wasn't in a panic."

"Of course you weren't." Her lip was twitching as she tried to suppress her mirth. "If that wasn't it what was?"

He held her face toward him so he wouldn't miss her reaction. He was deeply curious as to why she had been doing this and how she had managed to keep it a secret. He was also impressed that she had managed to tiptoe around him so well, not that he was going to tell her that. DG didn't need encouragement. "I heard a certain princess had been sending suitors packing and without letting the head of security in on it." Her easy smile vanished and shock flashed across her face. "Which bring up the question of why you would be doing that."

"Did Glitch tell you that?" He couldn't tell what her primary emotion was but it wasn't joy. "He promised not to tell anyone!"

She untangled herself from him so fast he barely managed to catch her arm before she got away from him. He tugged her against him with a frown and held her as she began to squirm. He was relatively sure he was the one that was supposed to be annoyed at being left out of the loop, but DG looked as if she were about to hit something. "Kid?

"What?" Her voice snapped at him as she tried to wiggle away from him.

He let go of her and she put distance between them as she ran a hand through her tousled hair in agitation. "Why are you upset?"

"Because no one was supposed to know!"

He was baffled. He was a grown man with a marriage and child under his belt and he still had no idea how to go about understanding women. And DG was one of the simpler ones, or so he'd thought. He reached out for her trying to maintain contact and rested his arm around her waist. "Because Glitch promised not to tell anyone?"

She threw his arm off and sat on the edge of her bed with her back to him. Apparently that wasn't why. "Does anyone else know?" She asked tensely as she glanced back at him.

He felt his frown deepen along with his confusion. "Jeb's the one that told me."

She nodded and looked away, pressing her lips together. He needed to sort this out before she drove him crazy. Because if an iron maiden couldn't do it he was sure DG could. Shifting quickly he hauled her back to him. "DG." She refocused on him and he saw how tired her eyes had turned. "Why isn't anyone supposed to know?"

DG's voice was suddenly as weary as her eyes. "Come on, Cain, use your head. Once I start seeing them they won't ever go away. Not unless I marry one. And god knows I love my parents, but how long do you think it'll be before they start hounding me to pick one?" She started to shrink in on herself slightly. "I don't want to get married because it's good for the kingdom."

He hadn't thought of it that way before. Then again he hadn't been the one being hounded by Ozma knew how many eligible bachelors because he was a possible candidate for the throne. However that wasn't a full explanation. "Why did you go to the Headcase and not me?" He was hurt that she hadn't trusted him with this.

She sighed softly, guilt flashing across her face. "I thought you'd tell them if you found out. I asked Glitch exactly what your position meant as soon as you took it. You're duty bound to the Queen and Consort. Glitch, well, he's duty bound to the whole family so he isn't obligated to tell my parents anything about what I'm doing, at least if I tell him not to."

He frowned even as he accepted her logic. "Darlin', I wouldn't betray your trust. Believe me, you come first. You always have."

She shrugged and glanced away from him as she went shy again. "I didn't want to get you in trouble. I do that without thinking so much I figured this was one less thing for you to worry about."

His lip twitched at the mention of trouble. The princess wouldn't know how to keep herself out of it even if Tutor tried teaching her for a month. Not that he was all that much better. "I always had a way of attracting trouble. It's no wonder you found me." She turned her head back toward him and he saw a brief flash of amusement in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's alright." He lifted his arm and motioned for her to come back to him. She scooted back toward him and he spooned her against him, grabbing the edge of her blanket as he did. Once they were under it he held her small hand in his and continued questioning her. "How many suitors has he sent away?"

She sighed in annoyance. "I don't know. Do we really need to talk about this now?"

"No." He kissed the back of her neck and tried not to think about anyone else trying to win her over. She was his. Come to think of it, she had been his since he had gone after her in Central City. So he was a bit possessive. He could live with that. "In fact we don't have to talk about anything at all."

He began to trail his fingertips from her knuckles up her arm. She let out a soft sigh and twisted her head around so she could kiss him. He growled into her mouth and slowly turned her over so she was facing him again. It was too easy to fall into her. She had been more passionate with him then he could have hoped for. Tucking her under him he pushed himself up slightly and began to trail open mouth kisses down her neck. She moaned his name and wrapped her legs around his hips.

The last few hours may have been loving but they hadn't been slow. After his initial release DG had practically attacked him, shocking him with her enthusiasm. And while he certainly enjoyed it, he wanted to take his time with her, wanted to be gentle. Now with the hottest of their passion released, at least for the moment, he thought he could manage to rock her into oblivion without her flipping them over to hurry them along. He rubbed himself along the outside of her and she gasped again. "Wyatt!"

Lowering his mouth next to her ear he eased slowly into her wet heat. "Oh, DG." Her legs clamped around him and a shudder ran up her body. His head was spinning at the feeling of her clutching him so tightly. "I've been wanting you for so long."

DG caught her breath and she shifted her weight slightly in preparation to roll them. Reaching down he caught her hip pressing her into the mattress. "Shhh, relax. Let's take it slow this time." She quivered below him but stopped trying to take over. As soon as she settled he began to move inside of her with long unhurried strokes, relishing the friction they were creating. His princess rocked with him, driving him as deep as he could go as she buried her face against his neck. Distracted by the fact that he couldn't see her face he shifted his hand from her hip to her neck and drew her head back to the pillow.

She whimpered as he held her neck, her eyes squeezed shut as her breathing began to hitch. Squeezing her neck gently he moved his neck so his forehead touched hers. He wanted to see her eyes when she fell apart. Those eyes that continually brought him out of the shell he had created around himself despite his best effort to ignore them. "Look at me."

Her eyes fluttered open at his request and he saw her emotions rippling quickly in those blue pools of hers. While he couldn't classify all of them he could label enough to know she was lost in a mix of desire, affection, and uncertainty. He gave her an unhurried kiss as he thrust slowly into her and she mewled into his mouth. "I love you, DG." Her eyes shimmered slightly and she moaned softly tightening around him.

"I love you too." Her soft, honest gasp nearly undid him. He stopped moving abruptly eyes locked on hers. The princess gripped at his arms and the uncertainty in her eyes returned. Before she could panic his lips crashed over hers and he started thrusting inside of her again. He kept his pace steady and she began to arch, her hands scratching along his back. The slight pain caused him to thrust harder as she started taking him toward the edge. She cried out at the sudden increase in pressure, her hold on him tightening. Good she was close. He wanted her to know what this was supposed to be like. What it was always supposed to be like, no matter how fast or slow they were going. "Come for me, DG. I want to fall with you."

She clamped down around him hard and he let himself go with a loud groan. Slumping over her he managed to shift enough so that most of his weight was supported by the bed, his arm cradling her side as he fought to catch his breath. The princess was lying still and quiet beneath him, her hands over his back, as her breathing slowly evened out. He pressed a slow kiss against her moist neck enjoying her proximity.

"Darlin'?" She turned her head on the pillow and watched him apprehensively. He reached out and ran his hand over her hair. "I know you've been sending those pesky suitors away but would you mind if one got past your advisor?"

Her eyebrows drew together in alarm. "What?"

He grinned lazily. "I hear he's a pretty decent man. Even if he is a bit older than you."

Her face cleared and she rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I have pretty high standards."

"And what might those be."

Her lip twitched. "Is he brave?"

He grunted in amusement glad she was playing along. "Most of the time, but he was a bit of a coward when it came to admitting he was interested in you."

She hummed. "Is he considerate?"

"Oh absolutely."

"Handsome?"

"Couldn't say."

She laughed at that. "Does he have the Wyatt Cain stamp of approval? Because I won't see anyone that doesn't have it."

Tugging her closer he kissed her cheek. "Seeing as he was a Tin Man I would have to throw my hat in for him."

"If that's the case I guess I could give him a shot."

He nuzzled her neck and relaxed back into the mattress. "I'll let him know so he can tell your parents you're off the market then."

She buried herself against him as her eyes drifted shut. "Should I talk to his son so he knows his father is no longer single?"

He managed to keep a straight face. "No need. His son found out this morning when he noticed your hair all over his pillow."

DG's head snapped back her eyes widening comically. "He what?!?"

He burst out laughing. That look had been well worth any awkwardness with Jeb. Now all he had to do was deal with a Queen and a former Seeker.

Author Note: You know what to do!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Tin Man is not my brainchild. He just hang out and see movies and stuff.

"Cain?" DG's groggy whisper floated to him as he fastened his pants. He hadn't meant to wake her up when he slid out of bed. She'd fallen asleep after he had convinced her that having Jeb know about them was not necessarily a bad thing. That in itself had been more fun than he had anticipated. It was more fun to get her to calm down now that he could touch her without worrying about her possible rejection. "You're leaving?" She sounded disappointed but not surprised by the fact that she was suddenly alone in bed.

Turning back to her he leaned over and kissed her forehead as he brushed her tangled hair behind her ear. He knew where her thoughts were headed and wanted to cut her off before she started thinking he had abandoned her. "I'm going to talk to your parents. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

She laid her hand over his. "Are you coming back?"

He ran his thumb over her cheek whispered hotly in her ear. "How could I stay away knowing you're waiting for me to sink back into you?"

Her breath caught in her throat and he stood back up after brushing his lips gently over hers once. If he stayed with her any longer he wouldn't be leaving and he needed to take care of the technicalities of this as soon as possible. It wasn't in his nature to hide things and he certainly didn't want DG to think he was ashamed of what they were doing. In fact, now that he knew how she felt he would rather everyone know she was his. "Go back to sleep, Darlin'."

DG curled up slightly and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. "Ok, but I sleep better when you're with me."

He smiled down at her as he began to button up his shirt. "Then we'll both sleep better tonight."

She hummed in agreement as her eyes drifted closed. As he picked up his holster she sighed out a request. "Don't scare Ahamo to bad."

He paused mid-buckle. The Princess didn't want him to _scare_ the Seeker? She had far more faith in him then he had given her credit for. While he was sure if he was forced to take on the Consort it would be a close fight he would rather avoid it if at all possible. He was positive that beneath the calm jovial exterior Ahamo was about as safe as a rabid papay. You didn't make it long in the Realm of the Unwanted if you weren't fearless and clever. He glanced back over at DG as he finished dressing; that was probably where she got it from actually. He had no doubt that given half a chance DG could take control of the ruling gangs in the underground city.

He immediately pushed that thought out of his head because if she caught wind of it she would merrily skip back there to see if he was right. That was an image he didn't need in his head. He nearly went into a cold sweat at the thought. He had no doubt that while she was happily bringing the Realm of the Unwanted to its knees he would be fighting tooth and nail to keep her safe from sneaky assassins. Definitely didn't need to put that thought in her pretty head. He walked out the door when her breathing leveled out, shutting it softly so she wouldn't wake back up.

He searched the room quickly and spotted his hat on the floor next to her desk. Scooping it up he placed it on his head before continuing out of DG's suite. Heading left he started toward Ahamo's office. The Consort rarely left that space until well into the afternoon and honestly he would rather deal with the Consort than the Queen. While she was loving and appeared to be open with her daughters, he felt more comfortable with DG's father, despite the fact that he could cut him to pieces before he could blink. He had always had a fairly good relationship with the Consort. He could resonate with the man's separation from his family and the pain that must have inevitably caused him.

Five minutes later and he was standing between two of his bored looking guards and raping sharply on Ahamo's door. He was going to organize more surprise drills if this was how all the guards were behaving. They should be on full alert no matter how long they had been standing and staring at a blank wall. He heard shuffling papers as the Consort answered. "Come in."

Pushing the door open he strode into the room, fighting back an unexpected wave of anxiety. The Consort had an arm full of paperwork and nodded toward the empty chair in front of his desk. "Good afternoon, Cain. Have a seat." Ahamo appeared to be looking for a good hot fire to dump the papers in. "How's your son? I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in a few days."

That was an odd phrase. Maybe the kid could explain that one to him later tonight. He sat down and put his hat on his knee. "He's fine. Got in late yesterday and went back out this morning."

Ahamo shook his head, a wistful smile flitting over his face. "I hope you got to talk to him before he ran off again. He's about as easy to keep track of as DG is."

At least he hadn't been the one to bring up the subject. That made the conversation a bit easier for him. "Actually the Princess is why I'm here."

Ahamo finally dropped the papers on top of a nearby table. "What did she do this time?" He heard a note of fondness in the Consorts tone that he was unable to suppress. He turned back and lowered himself into his chair. "Break a priceless antique? Catch someone on fire? Turn Tutor into a cat?"

That was something he could really appreciate. Sometimes the mutt just wouldn't shut up. He could mention that to DG in passing and see what happened. It would be entertaining at the very least. He forced himself to refocus on the conversation at hand. "She hasn't done anything… At least not recently." There was really no need to tell the man what his daughter had recently been up to. Mostly because he would be dead before he finished that sentence.

Across the desk Ahamo looked slightly disappointed. He wondered if Ahamo enjoyed cleaning up DG's messes or if simply enjoyed the chaos she caused. There was no way palace life was as exciting as where the man had spent the last fifteen years of his life. "That'd be a first. If she hasn't caused a catastrophe today what do you need to talk about?"

He cleared his throat more uncomfortable than he had been in recent memory. "I'd like your permission to court her."

Ahamo's face went blank for a moment. Then his pale eyes were focused and locked on his. He could practically see the battle going on in the man's head. Maybe being a parent gave him special insight into what Ahamo was thinking. He had to put considerable effort into keeping his body relaxed. "How does DG feel about that?"

He shifted at the unexpected response. "She told me not to scare you. Although I think she might underestimate what you're capable of. Then again I suspect most people do."

Ahamo leaned back, a feral grin on his lips. "True." He seemed to be contemplating something as he continued speaking. "There are several reasons why I agreed to let her train with Ambrose."

That decision had been fine with him. In fact if Ahamo and the Queen hadn't agreed to that when she had told them about the Headcase's offer to teach her to fight he would have flat out insisted on it as part of her safety protocol. The Princess needed to be prepared for any thing that might happen. He didn't want her to be unable to defend herself if her magic failed. Overall he had been more than impressed with how fast she was learning. She wasn't afraid of using everything she learned while she and Glitch spared. Which had been an unfortunate thing for the advisor on more than one occasion. His lip twitched. "She's got a mean spin kick."

"I've seen it." Ahamo stated absently as he continued to stare at him for a long minute. After a while he seemed to make up his mind about something. "Where I come from asking to court someone's daughter is frowned upon. Most women find the practice outdated, it makes them feel like property, or worse unable to make their own decisions without the help of a man." He frowned at that but Ahamo continued. "I take it DG knew you were going to ask?"

"Yes." He was trying to wrap his head around what he had just been told. In his experience asking to court a woman was the most respectful thing possible. It proved to her and her family that she was worthy not only a great deal of respect but also a great deal of anxiety. It showed that a man was interested in becoming part of her family, a responsibility that wasn't taken lightly by anyone. Ultimately it was up to her to choose a suitor, but the good will of her family was always appreciated, even if it wasn't necessary. He had more than a few friends run off with a man or woman who wasn't embraced by the rest of their family.

"Interesting."

"Excuse me?" He was only half listening to the Consort.

"She must like you more than I thought if she let you ask me that."

He thought about that for a few seconds. DG took her freedom and independence seriously. To give up her control, for any amount of time, was a huge sign of trust. The fact that she respected the customs he was raised with so he would feel more comfortable with their relationship spoke volumes. By allowing him to do this she was telling her Otherside father that she trusted him and respected their relationship. He had a sneaking suspicion that DG wasn't about to tell him any of that and he owed Ahamo a thank you for explaining that particular viewpoint to him. "I see."

Ahamo nodded sharply. "I think you do." He sighed. "I won't insult my daughter by making that choice for her. This is her life and I've spent so little time in it that it would be presumptuous for me to start now. Besides I think she could do much worse than you despite your age difference."

He was going to take that as a subtle yes. Ahamo certainly knew how to walk the line. The Consort hadn't insulted his daughter's sensibilities or his pride. He was impressed. He thought it would be best to take his leave before he changed his mind. "Thank you for your time, Ahamo."

"Of course." He started to stand wanting to get back to his princess. "Although-" He stopped moving. "I have to tell you if you hurt my daughter I'll show you exactly how much people underestimate me." The Consort had been replaced by the Seeker.

He straightened his spine. That had not been subtle at all. "I would expect nothing less." Placing his hat back on his head he tipped it toward the other man and walked out of the office praying a knife wouldn't be lodged in his back before he made it into the hall.

When he made it he let out a quiet breath and started making his way back to DG. Now that his interview was over all he wanted to do was relax. He thought a nice long bath might be a great way do that. He was fairly certain his princess had a large tub in the back of her suite. There was only one way to find out really.

Author Note: See! An update just like I promised! Leave me a review if you have the time. I've really missed them the last few weeks. ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine, but maybe it will wrap itself and I will get it as a present for Christmas. I was really good this year… What? Do you doubt me? ;)

He padded softly through DG's suite being careful not to wake her as he went. She was sleeping peacefully where he had left her as he took note of her room. The last time he was in here he had paid as little attention to his surroundings as he was capable of, due to what was happening, other than to make sure they were alone and safe. Now that he had the time he took a few moments to take in the Kid's room.

It was much plainer than he would have thought. The walls were painted a pale green and they were bare of any type of artwork or mirrors. There was a darker green chaise in the corner near her window, which was now covered by a set of white curtains with a line of brown embroidery along the bottom edge. The curtains matched her bedding perfectly. Against one wall was a large wooden wardrobe that was utterly simplistic in its design. Her vanity was of the same make.

The small vanity that sat in the corner was in utter disarray compared to the rest of her immaculately kept room. Beside the small lamp there was a sketchpad open haphazardly. Several pencils of different sizes and thicknesses lay across the flat surface, and around the small stool were a number of crumpled sheets of paper that had apparently not met her standards. Resisting the urge to rifle through what she had been drawing he continued on to the bathroom.

Letting his eyes scan the room once more he tried to understand what he was seeing. Her room either reflected someone with simple taste, and admittedly his princess had been raised on a farm so he doubted she was used to anything lavish, or she was ready to get up and leave at a moments notice. He found that both of these conclusions bothered him for different reasons.

For one thing he didn't want her to go anywhere and for another DG was literally a princess. If she wanted something all she had to do was ask for it and it would have been given to her with few, if any, questions. Thinking back he couldn't recall her asking for anything except a coat and boots when they had gone to the Ice Palace as part of her reconstruction trip around the realm. When she had received a very expensive and overly fashionable looking set of snow gear from her parents she had smiled brightly and thanked them before vanishing to her room without another word. He had immediately gotten suspicious.

When they had left it had been like the week they had had after the emerald, minus the witch and almost certain death. It had been just the four of them again but this time they had a good truck, packs, food, and an advisor with a whole brain. He had been having a good time and now that they were out of the palace everyone else was too. When they had reached North Country he had pulled over so they could make camp at the base of the mountains before they hit bad weather. While the Headcase and Furball went off to find firewood, or in Glitch's case throw snowball's at the harassed viewer, he had tugged the Kid to the back of the truck and handed her a package as he began to unload their camping gear.

"What's this?"

He quirked an eyebrow, grabbed a few of their packs, and walked toward the small clearing. He heard the rustling of paper as she unwrapped the simple brown parcel then silence. When he came back she was standing motionlessly, holding the charcoal grey coat in her hands. When the princess heard him next to her she had opened her mouth and glanced up at him with the most heart breaking expression in her eyes before dropping her face back to her gift.

"I already have a coat." DG said that as if having two was the most superfluous thing imaginable. Even as she spoke he saw her run her thumbs over the one he had given her as if she were savoring it while she had it.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not one that you like."

"Cain…" She stumbled to a halt.

He'd given his son, who fought in a war and he hadn't seen in ten years, gifts with less trouble than this. Still, he knew she wasn't trying to be ungrateful. Stepping closer he squeezed her shoulder and smiled at her. "Do you like it?"

She blinked at him. "It's beautiful." He was pleased with that response. He thought he'd gotten a grasp on what she liked to wear in the last few months. He had always taken an interest in buying Adora clothes, mostly because she had loved the fact that he took the time to think about what she liked. It had always made her feel special and made him feel appreciated. He figured the same principal would apply with the princess. She had transfer her gift to one hand and pounced him then. Caught off guard he had staggered slightly as he caught her. Her voice was suddenly very soft next to his ear. "Thank you, Wyatt."

The use of his given name made the whole thing worth it. That and she had looked spectacular in the simple coat and matching boots.

Smiling in remembrance he pushed the door closed behind him as he flipped on the light, smirking at the sight of the large tub. Shedding his coat he quickly turned the water on and waited for the tub to fill with the steaming water that was tumbling from the faucets. Once it was full he turned off the water and toed off his boots before he returned to the bedroom. Crouching down he placed a lingering kiss on the side of her mouth. With a sigh her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey there, Tin Man. You give the Consort any grey hairs?"

He chuckled. "He was so petrified he threatened to cut me up into little pieces if I hurt you in any way."

Her eyebrows came together and a crease formed on her forehead. "He went Seeker on your ass? Why?"

Her phrasing was so out of his experience that it took him a considerable amount of time to even come close to figuring out what it was he thought she was trying to ask him. "You mean why did he threaten me?"

"Uh, yeah."

He shook his head. "Because he loves you."

She stared blankly at him. After a considerable pause she replied. "Ok." He frowned at the lack of emotion in her voice but thought that this conversation was best kept for another time. He didn't like the way she was retreating back in on herself despite the fact that they were alone and at least one of them was naked. He hummed under his breath and snuck his arm under the blanket and around her waist. DG made a startled noise snapping out of her daze as he began to drag her off the mattress. "Where do you think you're taking me?"

"I ran us a bath." He kissed her cheek before he tossed her unceremoniously over his shoulder. "You need another layer of that soap you use."

"Hey!" She fussed indignantly at him. "I do not smell!"

He simply chuckled and smacked her thigh lightly. "Hush you."

"Oh, you're going to pay for that!"

He walked into the bathroom and set her down as carefully as he would a glass vase. "Now I'm worried." She opened her mouth, eyes flashing indignantly, and he leaned down to kiss her breathless. Running his hands down her sides he sat on the edge of the tub positioning her between his legs. She moaned and he ran his hands down and around her until he was cupping her bottom with one hand and her neck with the other. After a long minute he tore himself from her mouth and began to trail his lips down her soft neck. "Let's get you in the water before it gets cold, Sweetheart."

She let him untangle them reluctantly. Wrapping his hands around her hips he lifted her up and set her down in the still steaming water carefully. Once she was in he stripped off the rest of his clothes and stepped in after her. Sitting down he was more than happy when she arranged herself so she was leaning against him. "I can keep it warm you know."

He tilted his head so he could see her face. "With your magic?"

She turned her head on his shoulder so she could see his eyes. "Yeah. I'm pretty good at using my magic now." She held her hand up out of the water and it glimmered briefly. "Better than before."

Catching her hand he kissed her knuckles. "You were always good at using your magic." She smiled at him and for a second he thought she was going to say something before she wrapped their entwined arms down under the warm water. "What is it?"

"Huh?"

He tickled her ear with his nose. "You were going to say something."

"When you said that it made me think of when we first met. I was just thinking that I was always surprised that you decided to stay after things calmed down. I kept thinking one day I would wake up and you were going to be gone. I tackled Glitch when he told me you'd decided to take over as Head of Security, I think I almost knocked him out I was so excited." He could hear the laughter bubbling up in her voice.

He held her a bit tighter despite the humorous visual image he had of her taking the Headcase to the ground. "Where would I have gone? Jeb's stationed here."

She shrugged. "Only about half the time. The rest of the time he reports to other places and I thought you might have family or friends in other parts of the realm."

He shifted her slightly, surprised that she had thought that he would leave. He had made friends at the palace. Not only with her, but with Raw and Glitch, and he didn't make friends easily, he never had. He hadn't seen a reason to let that go. "You want to know about my family?"

She began to fidget suddenly and he heard and edge of guilt in her voice. "Not if you don't want to talk about it. I thought- I didn't mean-crap." The last word came out as a muttered grumble.

She had caught him unawares with that. He wasn't an open man by nature but if she had asked he would have told her. It hadn't occurred to him that she was curious about more of his history than she already knew.

"Kid-"

"I'm sorry." Her sincere whisper made him angry.

"For what?" He snapped.

She cringed at his tone and he got angry all over again, this time at himself. She let go of his arm and tried to get out of the water. He held her firmly against him until she stopped struggling against him. "I shouldn't have said anything! I'm sorry, ok!"

"You don't need to be sorry." He knew she was scared since she had tried to run from him, he just didn't know why. "I'm not angry." He kissed the back of her bowed head. "Why are you upset, Darlin'?"

"If you'd wanted me to know something you would have told me." He felt his blood pressure rising again and had to clamp his mouth shut for nearly a full minute while DG faced the other way. Oh, DG asked questions all right. The ones she needed to know. The ones she knew were safe to ask. Questions about the realm, about politics and economics, she had even wondered out loud why her mother had left her in the first week they had known each other. But once she had found out she had made no inquiries about her mother's choice in foster parents, why she was placed on a farm, why her foster parents hadn't gradually given her information on who she was, why she was forced to find out in an hour that she was adopted and had to find her real mother. Why she had to rely on strangers for protection, why her sister might love her but still looked at her with a little fear, why her mother wasn't going to put her on the throne but was equally wary to let her become an ambassador as her birthright dictated she become. Why her father treated her like a novelty instead of a daughter and why he shouldn't be expected to act any differently.

Carefully turning her around the water lapped around their bodies as he placed feather light kisses on her forehead since she still wasn't looking at his face. He decided to take this in steps. He hated it that she ran from him when she was scared. He hadn't been able to reach his family for so long when he was imprisoned. It disturbed him on a very basic level that he knew she wasn't happy or safe and he wasn't there to help. He blamed his time in the suit as much as his personality. "If you run every time I say something that spooks you both of us are going to drop dead from exhaustion."

Her eyes finally flashed up to him. She was startled by his observation. "I…" She drew the syllable out scrambling for a response.

"I had a younger brother but he died of a fever when I was seventeen. His name was Daniel." Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click. "My parents lived until Jeb was five. They died right after the Witch took power. The town they lived in was one of the first ones she cleansed. They didn't have any warning, couldn't get out. I don't have any other family that I know of, and any friends I had before the war are dead or scattered across the four winds."

She searched his eyes and nodded cautiously. Her fingers were resting lightly above his elbows and he felt her body relaxing at least enough that he didn't think she was going to try to shoot up out of the water again. He ran his hand over her back, letting her quiet on her own. It seemed she was processing the fact that he wasn't going to yell at her, ignore her, or leave on his own. He'd known after their initial talk that this was going to take time. He knew how to be patient, it was his strongest trait, so he waited as he kept his body relaxed.

Running one of her hands up his arm she let it wander over his chest until it lay over his heart. "Thank you, Wyatt."

Kissing her lovingly he rubbed his cheek against hers. "You can ask me anything you want, Sweetheart, like always. The only thing that's changed between us is what goes on between closed doors. You're still you and I'm still me."

DG tucked her head under his chin. "I love you."

Leaning back against the tub he draped her over him and let the heat of her body and the water sink into him. He hadn't thought she would say that to him without prompting so soon. "I love you too, DG."

Author Note: Leave me one! I love reviews and they would be a great Christmas gift!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer:

He enjoyed this. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed this. Laying with a beautiful woman in his arms and not worrying about anything except her hair tickling his nose. They had gotten clean some time ago and afterward he had held her against him with a hum of contentment at the situation. She hadn't complained as they sank deeper into the fragrant water. He twitched and finally gave in, lifting his arm out of the still steaming water; DG hadn't been lying about keeping it hot, and moved her damp hair over her shoulder.

She must have thought he was after more than ridding himself of a slight annoyance because her blue eyes looked up at him from under her long lashes as she spread her thighs and used her nails to scratch down his chest. A groan fell from his lips before he knew what was happening and he saw a smile of satisfaction on her lips as her hand traveled lower, tracing scars and muscles as it went. Then her mouth latched onto one of his nipples and he cursed. Releasing him she lifted her head and kissed his shoulder. "What do you want, Tin Man?" Her voice was seductively sweet. He wondered why she wanted to know. As far as he was concerned he had everything he could want.

Growling at her he moved to kiss her only to have her twist her head away. All he got was a mouth full of apple-scented hair. He felt a sudden sharp nip on his neck. "I asked you a question." His eyebrow twitched up at her bossy tone.

He'd tell her then, although he doubted it would be the answer she was looking for. "I want you to stop running from me."

Her hand, which had been sneaking down since this had started, finally reached its destination and he hissed. He thought she might be avoiding the issue, or simply trying to distract him form it, because she wrapped her hand around him and began to stroke him slowly. He moaned her name and reaching up to cup her breasts in his hands as she rubbed him. She arched with a startled cry and squeezed him harder on her next upstroke. While he easily could have let her rub him into oblivion for the second time that day he thought that would be selfish on his part. Besides, sometimes it was easier to reinforce an idea with a pleasurable outcome. He was sure it was about time his princess got a pleasurable outcome for allowing herself to be vulnerable with someone.

The water helped his hands slide slickly over her pale skin until they reached her hips. Gripping them firmly he used the buoyancy of the water to ease her up and over his straining erection. She let her hand loosen as he lowered her and she guided him inside of her with a sigh of completion. He continued to hold onto her, and his control, as he slid her, agonizingly slowly, down onto his lap. "Promise you won't do it again." His voice was hoarse from the strain, from the feeling of her surrounding him so tightly, so hotly.

He bottomed out in her and she mewled loudly as she gripped at his shoulders. "Wyatt!"

He held her firmly in place so she couldn't move, gritting his teeth against the sensations that were assaulting him. "Promise me, DG."

Lust filled blue eyes flashed to his. "I can't."

He jerked his hips up and she whined trying to rock against him. "Why?" His harsh demand rocked through both of their bodies.

"Because."

They weren't going to be able to keep this up for very long. He moved one of his thumbs to her inner thigh and flicked her clit once. She was practically withering on top of him. "Wyatt, stop teasing me, please."

"Tell me why."

The princess whimpered pitifully. "I always run. No one tried to stop me before you. I don't know how to not run." At least she knew it was a defense mechanism. He brushed his thumb between her thighs again as a reward for her honesty and a gasping sob fell from her lips. "It's a reflex. I'll break that promise without meaning to. I won't do that to you." He caught her lips as he lifted her up, understanding the statement. As much as he hated to hear it, as much as he wanted her trust, he couldn't make her go against her nature. He wouldn't make her do to him what everyone else had done to her. That wasn't right. She moaned in relief as he finally let her begin to move.

She rode him without restraint, her breath coming in short pants, as he attacked her neck with his mouth. Almost immediately her fingers tangled in his hair holding him there as her tempo increased and her breathing grew more labored. He sucked on her collarbone and thrust up into her as he felt himself spiraling closer to his own release. The moment his lips touched her there a flurry of yes's began to tumble from his princess's lips. He rumbled deep in his chest and she clenched around him with a shuddering cry. He let himself go a few strokes after as the last of the tremors inside of her died away.

Breathing heavily into her chest he thought that could have gone better. He thought it could have gone worse as well. Her fingers loosened their death grip and began to stroke his hair soothingly. Her lips pressed against his scalp as her fingers made a trail to the nape of his neck. When she spoke her voice was husky with what he thought might be exhaustion. "I can promise I'll always come back, I can promise I'll tell you why I'm upset or afraid, and I can promise that I'll always be the farm girl you met on the way to Central City and not some stuck up princess."

He felt his heart warming up at her words. That was the woman he had fallen in love with. The one that worked to hard and didn't know when to give up, the one that kept going until she dropped despite the protests of everyone else. He lifted his head and looked into her worried blue eyes. "Is that enough for you?"

He felt a full out smile bloom on his lips. "That's more than enough for me, DG." He kissed her lips and then the tip of her nose. "I love you. The rest we'll have to work out as we go along." And even though that might take time, he was a patient man, and he knew they could do this together.

A lopsided smile sprang into existence on her pretty face. "That sounds like a very sensible plan."

His eyebrow twitched up. "I thought so." He failed to see the problem and he was sure she was making fun of him.

She shook her head as her lips twitched. "Alright, fine, so your saying we'll worry about our collective emotional issues as they arise, and in the meantime we should get dried off so we can get food?" So she was hungry. That was his DG, as subtle as a thrown brick.

"I think we should get dressed between getting dried off and finding food, but other than that yes."

She stared at him for a second before smacking him lightly. "Honestly I don't know why I love you."

"You can't help it. I'm irresistible."

She stood up dripping water. "That's it. Who could resist the silent glaring and bouts of ill humor?"

"Now that's just cold hearted."

DG grinned as she wrapped a towel around herself. Bending over the tub she gave him a lingering kiss. "Then again you listen to me when I talk about Kansas and open windows to chase away my nightmares. That's pretty sexy."

He gave her a smoky smile. "Everything about you is sexy, Darlin'."

The princess backed up a few feet. "Enough of that. I want some food and we are never going to get out of here if you start that again."

He raised an eyebrow but stood up without further comment as she turned back into her bedroom. As he started to dry off he heard her digging around in her drawers for something to wear. He should have brought something back with him so they didn't have to leave. He'd keep that in mind next time he intended to keep DG trapped naked in one of their rooms for the day.

By the time he redressed and entered the bedroom he found his princess fastening a pair of pants around her slim waist with another one of those small lacy corsets, this one pale rose, around her chest. Stepping behind her he bushed her damp hair over her shoulder and kissed the back of her neck as he wrapped his arms around her bare waist. "Come on, Sweetheart. Let's get you fed so we can get back here. I would love to take you against the wall in this position."

She shuddered at the anticipation in his voice and reluctantly pulled away. "Let's go then. I'd hate to keep either of us waiting."

He felt his eyes twinkle as he caught her hand and followed her out of the suite. He wouldn't mind keeping her waiting for a while once they got back. Sometimes waiting made the end a bit more spectacular. He considered the possibilities as they headed toward the kitchens. Yup, his princess could do with a bit of waiting.

Author Note: Thus ends another story. I know it was shorter than usual but there has been a new plot on the horizon that has attacked me. I should have chapter one of that up tomorrow. As always I love all of your feedback and for those of you who are leaving me reviews on fanfiction, where it is harder for me to respond to you personally, I truly appreciate all your comments! I read them all and take them to heart. And on really crappy days they give me a huge boost! So thanks for the love and that is the end of my little thank you rant. Now off you go to read more fanfiction from other awesome authors!


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